


Interdimensional

by Kunfetti



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, lots of sib moments, matt and pidge's excellent adventure, matt is rock bottom, shiro has a space hand, some language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 17:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18154931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunfetti/pseuds/Kunfetti
Summary: Five years ago, Shiro disappeared. Today, Matt finds him.





	Interdimensional

**Author's Note:**

> thanks [birdsandivory](http://www.birdsandivory.tumblr.com) & [Silverine](http://www.silverineontherun.tumblr.com)

Matt remembers the day Shiro disappeared as if it had happened in this very second.

 

They were young scientists, testing quantum technology of realm travel. It was simple enough; open an interdimensional doorway contained within two frames—walk through one and come out the other.

 

_To fold spacetime._

 

They’d go down in history as heroes.

 

Of course, neither of them were interested in that. Matt wanted aliens to be on the other side and Shiro? Shiro wanted to be the first disabled scientist to travel the fabric of time itself. To prove he was more than his degenerative disease.

 

He had nothing to prove to Matt.

 

In fact, once the test proved successful, Matt was fully prepared to confess his long standing feelings. And he was going to do it in front of all the military personnel and government officials, and the millions watching at home on their devices; live.

 

His team quadruple checked the readings, triple checked the equipment, double checked the sensors and all that was left was for their first human to enter the threshold and come out alive and well from the other side.

 

Shiro told Matt he wasn’t scared.

 

Matt was terrified.

 

Since Shiro would be demonstrating as test subject 1179875, Matt casually tossed inanimate objects into the portal. As quickly as if he were tossing them through a doorway in a house, they emerged from the second portal where his sister and fellow scientist Katelyn Holt, was ready and waiting to catch each object.

 

His final object was a robot, one he built himself. A prototype model he used as a data vessel. Kerberos, or  _broros_ , as Matt likes to call them, would collect live data as it traveled through the portal. Once the readings were analyzed, Shiro would take the first step in human evolution. The first step into the quantum abyss.

 

And maybe the first steps into their future together.

 

It’s with bated breath when Broros enters the portal. Matt would swear time stopped as his eyes move toward the exit portal, waiting for his robot to appear. And in that small moment, Shiro reached out to him. Clutching Matt’s hand in his own, warm skin against warm skin, in desperate anticipation for the climax.

 

Broros emerging from the other portal resets time but before Matt can process his reaction, Shiro has engulfed him in a bear hug. Gasps of  _We did it, Oh my God, we did it_ fanning across his ear.

 

It was easy to get caught up in the moment. Because for that moment, he was on top of the world.

 

Shiro broke away, blinding smile on his face and watery eyes at a job well done. He clapped Matt on his shoulder, giving a solid nod, before turning to take his own leap into history.

 

Looking back, the moment of nausea he felt when Shiro turned away, wasn’t an overload of emotion. It was dread, because somewhere in his subconscious, he was being warned by the universe.

 

He ignored it.

 

He helped Shiro with his gear once the scientist was changed into his suit. Form fitting breathable material that would help protect against any elements Shiro may encounter on the other side yet sustain his life force and feedback vitals.

 

“Are you ready to make history?” Shiro asked, sliding on a pack with equipment.

 

Matt handed Shiro a pair of glasses, with a built in camera to record the trip.

 

“You’re doing all the work.”

 

“No, we did it together.” He replied and God, Matt couldn’t wait for Shiro to walk through that other portal.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” He playfully asked, knowing full well he couldn’t.

 

“It’s safer this way,” He looked to Matt with a smugness in his eye, “Besides, you didn’t pass your physicals.”

 

“Alright, rub it in, Muscles. We can’t all be marble statues.”

 

Instead of laughing like Matt expected, like Shiro does every time he exaggerates his physical appearance, the scientist hugged him one more time. This time, tighter like he’s afraid to let go, and Matt should have taken it as warning number two.

 

“I’ll see you on the other side.”

 

“Promise?” It’s the first time Matt lets his insecurity show.

 

“I promise.”

 

Letting go of Shiro felt like he was letting go apart of himself. He bit his lip as Shiro walked through the portal, and Matt would never forget the way Shiro looked back over his shoulder.

 

There was nothing to suggest foul play, nor were the readings outside of the parameters of safety levels, yet the entry portal imploded on itself moments after Shiro walked through.

 

Matt was thrown across the room, and the last thing he remembers was screaming out Shiro’s name before he blacked out.

 

Matthew Holt, Ph. D. in engineering & quantum theory, wakes up panting to a nightmare that has plagued him for five years. A nightmare that reminds him he lost everything that day.

 

The alarm is blaring some talk radio, words he doesn’t understand right away filling his senses. His eyes hurt, his head fuzzy and his body aches. His sheet is covered with sweat, legs a tangled mess, and although he’s just woken, sleeping forever seems a better option than facing the day.

 

He blinks a few times to clear his head, turning away from the sun filtering through the blinds when his eyes land on a photo across the room. It’s of him and Shiro, days before field testing. They’re smiling, arms wrapped around each other.

 

_What would Shiro do_?

 

Shiro would force himself to get out of bed, no matter how much his body hurt. He’d go for his two mile run before working out, eat a protein enriched breakfast before studying shit he already knew inside out. After, he’d hit the lab and work tirelessly on their project, before going to the clinic and getting his daily round of injections and pills to slow his ailing body.

 

Shiro would have lived his life to the fullest.

 

Matthew Holt is not Takashi Shirogane.

 

Matt does, however, force himself out of bed because that’s what Shiro would want. He throws on his robe, slides on his slippers, fills his chipped mug with black coffee before plopping down at his desk, agonizing over what went wrong and how he could have fixed it. Eventually, he’ll have self pitied himself enough to focus his efforts on the component he invented to bring Shiro back. Because if it’s the last thing he does, Shiro  _will_ come back to him.

 

The radio starts to break through his thoughts, more of a distraction than white noise and he pushes his long hair out of his eyes so he can shot daggers at it from across the room.

 

_‘Today marks the fifth anniversary of the national incident_   _that left up and coming scientist Takashi Shirogane…’_

 

The radio is silenced abruptly.

 

“Hey, I was listening to that!”

 

“It’s trash and you know it.” Kaitlyn Holt, his beloved sister, all grown up, makes her way over to his desk, plopping down a greasy bag of breakfast, “You look like shit.”

 

“Well, no one asked you.” He replies and even he knows he’s proved her right if the way she crosses her arms and cocks her hips is any indication of her  _I told you so_ mannerism, “What are you here for?” He asks peeking into the bag. Bless her, it's donuts from that fast food place down the street.

 

“I’m just checking up on you.” The scraping of a chair across the floor causes him to wince, and Katie sits next to him but her hand on his shoulder is forgiving, “Mom and Dad are worried about you.”

 

“I’m fine,” he assures, thrusting a donut back into the bag, his appetite lost. Clearly she’s here to busy body him so he tries another tactic to distract her from his spiraling lifestyle, “In fact, I’ve almost got the algorithm on this component finished and I’ll be able to install it to the Altea Portal and—“

 

“Matt,”  _Oh no, she’s using her empathic voice_ , “It’s time to move on, Shiro’s dead—“

 

“No, he’s not Pidge, I know he isn’t!” Standing up, he brushes off her hand, no longer comforting and starts to pace, “This component, it-it can save him.”

 

It’s a standoff. Matt stares desperately at his sister, the one person who hasn’t sworn him off, yet. The one person who if she would just help, he could find the solution faster.

 

The one person who still believes in him even when he sometimes doesn’t believe in himself.

 

She stares back, pity and sorrow in her eyes. A look Matt has grown used to and one he doesn’t like to see on her.

 

“Please Katie. I could use a second pair of eyes.” Desperation makes him ask, but it seems to work when his sister sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes.

 

“What do you need me to do?”

 

“Actually, if you could get some of that fancy Californium 252, that’d be great.” He knows he’s laid it on thick, asking for the impossible, but he thinks a finger gun is a good touch to soften the blow.

 

It wasn’t.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me? You know I can’t get you that.”

 

“Please Pidge. That metal will help stabilize the radioactive waves emitted from the portal. I can’t get any without my license and I’m certainly not paying street prices for it.” He adds as a joke. But Pidge is looking at him with an indescribable  _you can’t be fucking serious_ look.

 

“You want me to risk life and limb getting you some C-252 on something you have no idea if it’ll even work?” She exasperates, throwing her arms up before she starts pacing.

 

It’s a Holt thing.

 

It’s also time to break out the big guns. He puts on his best puppy dog face, soft downcast droopy eyes and small frown. He knows he’s got her hooked when her foot taps rapidly on the floor.

 

“I can’t believe this. I had a date with Keith tonight, you know.”

 

“Oh, wolf boy finally decided to step up?”

 

“Don’t call him that.” Pidge gets in his face, finger pointed squarely in his chest. And although Matt has a good foot and a half on her, he shrinks under her weighted gaze, “You owe me, big time.” She emphasizes each word with a poke to his chest.

 

“Anything you want.”

 

Once she’s gone, having slammed the door and stormed out, does he rub the spot she poked. He’s sensitive, god damnit.

 

But it’s something to look forward to and he gets started on his work.

 

Pidge comes through a few days later, having secured a whole gram of C-252. It's more than enough for what he needs; a little goes a long way and before he knows it, him and Pidge have crafted the component that will save Shiro.

 

The plan, however, is a bit more complicated.

 

_step 1: break into the altean facility_

_step 2: install the component and activate the portal without alerting authorities_

_step 3: save Shiro_

_step 4: kiss Shiro back to life_

 

“Wait wait, what’s the plan again?”

 

Wow, his sister has the worst timing.

 

“I just told you, break into the facility, save Shiro.” He treads through the foliage in his rain boots, flashlight bouncing every which way. He pauses when the facility is in sight, kneeling at the base of a large bush.

 

“No, I meant the last part, Shiro’s not really my type.” Pidge kneels next to him, and he knows she’s smug but ignores looking at her to scope out the facility.

 

“That’s cause your type is stick figure little brothers—ouch, don’t pull my hair.”

 

“Ow, don’t pull my hair!”

 

“Pidge, this is not the time for petty squabbles. What would mom say?!”

 

Pidge flourishes her hands, one delicately on her chest while the other points in his general direction, “‘  _Don’t let the boys get to you, sweetheart. Kick their little asses.’”_

 

_“_ Nice, spot on imitation little sis.” He holds a hand up for a high five, which Pidge returns with a proud smile.

 

“Thanks bro.”

 

“Ok, now seriously be quiet I’m not done scouting.”

 

He can’t help but smirk to himself, he can feel her frown without even looking.

 

The facility, is of course abandoned, not a soul for miles besides him and his sister. He checks every area with his binoculars anyway, just to be sure. They will have to climb the chain link fence but if he remembers correctly, there is a hatch on the roof of the cafeteria they can climb into that had a loose latch. That would be the best entry point to make sure no alarms are tripped.

 

Of course, they don’t have a large window of opportunity. Once they power the building, he’s sure they will only have hours before authorities are alerted and either arrest them or, well, there is no other option really. They’re doomed to a couple lifetimes in prison.

 

But, you miss 100% of the chances you don’t take right?

 

He looks to his sister, who is peeking around the bushes she’s hiding behind. His sister, who is about to give up everything on a wishful hope that he can save the man he loves. His sister, who finally almost had a chance to hand in her v-card with that sad emo kid Keith, risking her own career and life for him. It means more then she will ever know.

 

“Thanks Pidge.”

 

She looks over to him and smiles. He’s reminded of the first time he saw her, just a fragile baby in his mother’s arms. He knew as soon as he laid eyes on her he would love her more than anything.

 

“And to think I never told you you were adopted.” He turns to leave, squatting through the bushes and leaving her stunned in his wake.

 

“Wait what?”

 

He hears the bushes rustle as she follows, yelled whispers between them, “Matthew Leslie Holt, I can’t believe the shit you put me through! I am your precious sister, who has only ever loved and supported you—“

 

“Shhh, do you hear that?” He interrupts, listening carefully to his surroundings. Pidge also freezes, as if scared something will jump out at her. He’s impressed it only takes her about a minute to scoff at him.

 

“You just wanted me to stop talking, didn’t you?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

The fence seems much taller standing next to it than it seemed when looking through the binoculars. He shakes it slightly, checking it’s durability and besides having some rust spots, seems like it will hold their weight.

 

“I’ll go first.”

 

If he’s being honest, he’s not physical. And these past five years have not been kind to him. In fact, it’s a bit embarrassing that he’s struggling so much in front of his sister. Throwing his leg over the top, knowing he had reached the halfway mark had been inspiring until he realized the amount of upper body strength needed to climb down. He looks over his shoulder, briefly wondering if he should let gravity do the work for him. But that’s a dizzying thought, so he takes it one step at a time.

 

After what feels like hours, his feet touch solid ground and he jumps the rest of the way off, panting hunched over on his knees.

 

“What took you so long?”

 

Matt jumps sky high at his sister's voice, who stands leaning against the fence examining her nails.

 

“Katie, how in the world…?”

 

“I used the gate, idiot.”

 

His eyes follow her gesture over her shoulder. Sure enough, there is a gate there. A little more examination and he spots the rusted lock lying on the ground, probably easily broken with just a little bit of force.

 

“Fine, you win this round but no more freebies.”

 

“Whatever you say, Leslie.”

 

A raspberry and exaggerated sigh later and they both make their way to the emergency stairwell. Thankful that there is at least a guardrail, they both tiptoe their way up as it creaks beneath their shared weight.

 

Matt used to come to the roof all the time with Shiro back...before everything, and each step fills in a memory he long since forgot. The many times they shared lunch under the afternoon sun, or when Shiro broke his heart when he told Matt he was asking out Adam. Or when Shiro restored Matt’s faith in humanity when he told him that him and Adam were breaking up. Matt also remembers the time when he almost fell off and Shiro held Matt in his arms, saving him from face planting to the depths below. It was his  _oh_ moment.

 

Matt’s so lost in memories he almost misses the hatch,  _almost_. It’s muscle memory that stops him and he stares hard at the handle.

 

This will be the first time in five years he’s entered the facility. So many memories, he can hear them echo in his mind. This is where he first fell in love with Shiro, and it’s the last place he ever saw him. It’s where they made discoveries together that changed the way the world thought about space travel. It’s where their lives changed.

 

For good and for bad.

 

“Open it. Are you going to open it? It isn’t going to open itself.” Pidge is kneeling beside him, chin in hand as she contemplates him from across the hatch. He blinks quickly, shaking away the last of his memories. He came here on a mission. This was no time to chicken out and live in the past.

 

With a quick twist of the handle, the door creaks open and he jumps inside.

 

It’s dark and his flashlight only provides so much light. He looks around the room. Nearly everything is exactly as he remembers except for afew chairs overturned and the fridge door hangs off broken hinges. It’s so jarringly familiar, in an awakened piece in his mind, he can almost smell Nancy’s week old egg salad in the fridge.

 

“Hey, help a brother out.” Pidge calls, dangling from the hatch. Her feet wiggle in his peripheral and he shakes his head. He uses his teeth to hold the light as he braces Pidge to fall on his shoulders. Her weight settles heavily, and he’s hit with how much she’s grown since she was a child and he’d give her piggy back rides.

 

“Is this what you see all the time? It’s so different up here.”

 

He hates to break her fascination but she’s heavy and he doesn’t want to admit how his back hurts holding her up. He shrugs his shoulders at her frown as he gets her settled on her own two feet.

 

“This way.”

 

He walks her through the hallways, his rain boots squeaking as they go are the same ones they both have walked a hundred times before. It’s eerie and the air holds a heavy trepidation. Once he saves Shiro, hes burning the building to the ground.

 

They make it without hassle to the laboratory and both peek through the door window. He swallows hard, so much riding on one moment, on one crazy idea that he holds in his backpack. The component could either make or break them both and if he were a religious man, he’d have prayed non stop since he completed the project for success.

 

Yet, he is not and he puts his faith in himself and his mind that he’s done everything he can.

 

“Ok, we need to restore power to the grid but once it’s on it will show up at the power plant. We probably have roughly a two hour window to install the component, save Shiro, and get out before homeland security arrives and eats our asses for breakfast.”

 

“Lovely.”

 

“Pidge, you get the power on, then monitor everything from the overhead security room.” He points above them, where a clove of computers sits, overlooking the workspace.

 

His sister is about to take off, but he holds her back, “Wait.”

 

He watches her look over him imploringly, eager for his next command. She always followed him to a T, waiting for instruction or his next bit of scientific discovery. Her belief in him never wavered and he hopes the small smile he wears doesn’t betray how solemn he feels.

 

“Pidge, if the authorities arrive before we come out, promise me you’ll leave.”

 

“Matt, I—“

 

“Promise me, Katie.”

 

Katie’s eyebrows scrunch behind her too big glasses but something in his face must show how dire the situation could become, and she nods.

 

“Ok, I promise.”

 

He sends her off on a hug and a small push to the shoulders before turning to face the object of his destruction for the first time in five years.

 

The portal sits in front of him and he rubs his hand along the entry piece in nostalgia. It’s bigger than he remembers. But anything looks bigger when you’re afraid of it.

 

Except this time he’s determined to not let it defeat him. Shiro is just on the other side of the door,  _so close_ to him he can practically feel Shiro in the air around him.

 

“I’m coming for you.” He whispers but he gets no answer. It’s ok, he doesn’t need one. He sets to work, getting the component installed. He spends a few minutes replacing burnt out wires and regulators and once he’s satisfied everything is as it should be, he waits for Pidge.

 

Standing alone in the silence, it’s hard not to feel intimidated by his past. It’s the elephant in the oversized room.

 

But he also knows he’s lived in his past for too long. And he’s going to change his future.

 

The lights power on with a static buzz and he’s proud of his sister for a job well done. He should probably feel guilt or remorse for teaching her basic sabotage techniques but she shines under pressure and without her, he wouldn’t have got this far.

 

Matt finishes preparations while Pidge gets settled in the overlook. There isn’t much in the way of safety gear that hasn’t been corroded by time or rodents without the help of human interference. But he’s done nothing but study the quantum abyss and all he needs is a few minutes to find Shiro and get out.

 

The portal powers up and Matt looks towards his sister. She waves with a smile on her face and Matt gives her a thumbs up.

 

“It’s now or never, time is against us.”

 

Her voice echos harshly through the PA system and he turns to face his obstacle. Just the thought that Shiro is on the other side gives him strength.

 

Looking around the floor, he spots a few tennis sized pieces of debris from the original explosion. He tosses them into the portal, waiting for them to emerge from the other side.

 

The clatter of them hitting the floor is the signal and he takes his first step.

 

His body tingles as he passes the threshold and as soon as he's through, he feels like falling and standing at the same time. Time rushes by him but it’s also stagnant. The world around him is a kaleidoscope of wonder and misery. Yet all his mind can compute is he’s turned himself into schrödinger's Matt.

 

He wants to cry and laugh, but he feels pain yet nothing at all. He’s inside out and right side in. Nothing feels the way it should yet everything makes sense.

 

His head aches.

 

“S-Shiro?”

 

His mission. He can’t let it go. Afraid that he could lose it, he yells out again.

 

“Shiro!”

 

His voice reverberates around him like wavy glass. He hears the way yellow feels like fuzzy socks and his brain pounds behind his eyes.

 

He collapses to his knees.

 

In the back of his head he thinks maybe he should go back the way he came.

 

But he came to this awful wonderful place for something.

 

What is it?

 

It’s an ache in his heart like happiness but a joy in his gut like despair. Backward is up and white is clear and he isn’t sure when he started crying but his sanity is falling from his eyes.

 

He’s going to die here.

 

Is this what happened to Shiro? Did he suffer like this, in his final moments? Scared and alone?

 

He just wanted to see Shiro again.

 

He  _just_ wanted Shiro.

 

There is a blinding searing light and suddenly his mind is clear like spring water. He blinks away his tears, grateful to discover it was just saline and looks up. Standing there, a halo in an otherwise dark place is a man. The stranger helps him up, and Matt notices the glow is coming from his body.

 

Matt can’t believe it. He discovered aliens on the other side.

 

His new alien friend, however, seems to never have seen another human before if the way he’s touching Matt all over is any indication. It’s a sad thought, cause that means they never came across Shiro. But maybe they can help?

 

“I’m looking for someone.” He says but his words don’t work right here. Like before, they crest the air, vibrating around them. Matt’s never done drugs before but he images this must be what it’s like.

 

The alien starts stripping layers, which is strange now that Matt has noticed they’re wearing clothes. Or what passes for clothes in this place. It’s more like water is sliding off their body to reveal…

 

To reveal the Altean safety suit Shiro wore before he disappeared.

 

“Shiro?! Have you seen him?” He pleads, ignoring the way his words manifest around him.

 

His new friend slows their movements, glowing brighter with each stripped layer. A bubble emerges around them, coming from the center of this stranger, and it’s like they’ve been separated from the world around them and only the two of them are existing in this space.

 

“Please, my friend.”

 

Matt should care how this alien is warping space time with nothing but their body. He should be documenting the way the physics of this world operate with no abandon. Instead, he stands as the first human to have met aliens, tears in his eyes as he pleads for his lost friend.

 

The alien hesitates at their mask, and it’s the first time Matt notices their long dark hair. It’s too similar to be different despite being so foreign to him and he swallows thickly. The mask slowly pulls away to reveal a face Matt had only seen in his dreams.

 

A scar pulls across his nose and he looks older than he should, but Matt would recognize those cobalt eyes anywhere.

 

“Takashi?”

 

A sob bubbles from the other man's chest as he nods and Matt throws himself into Shiro. Their collective cries share their desperation, and relief, and joy.

 

They cling tight to each other; Shiro having felt his first contact with a human in five years and Matt having finally found the person that lights up his world.

 

“I knew you’d find me.” He says and it sounds like an angel sighing. Matt has long forgotten what Shiro’s voice sounded like.

 

“I’m here to take you home.”

 

Shiro pulls away, a soft smile gracing his lips. He brushes Matt’s bangs from his hair and Matt notices the very lack of human flesh brushing along his skin. His eyes follow the movement in shock and Shiro pulls away self consciously.

 

“It’s been a difficult journey.” He replies, looking away from Matt and clenching his ethereal arm.

 

But this isn’t what Matt came here to do. He came here to save Shiro and dammit that’s what he’s going to do.

 

But first.

 

Not sure if it’s his long standing desire, or this place, or the overload of emotion he’s experiencing, but he drags Shiro back by the buds of his cheek and kisses him. It probably shouldn’t feel as electrifying as it does, with static coursing along his skin and his hair raising, but he always knew kissing Shiro would be worth the wait.

 

The bubble pops around them but Matt is lost in the way Shiro kisses him back. It’s like being engulfed in a blazing wildfire, but the heat is soothing instead of devastating. Everything he’s ever done has lead him to this moment and it’s something he will carry with him always.

 

Pulling away, he’s ready with a fresh line but for some reason his mouth and brain won’t connect and the three Shiro’s in his vision swirl together. He thinks he’s riding on a high, but the world turns right side up as he falls backward.

 

“Whoa, whoa, easy,” Shiro’s concerned voice breaks through his muddled mind, warm hands catching him, “This place is starting to affect you. We have to get out of here before your mind is melted.”

 

It’s a nice solid weight supporting him and he’s vaguely aware they are taking steps towards a spiraling circle hovering in the middle of the nothingness.  _The portal_ , the part of his mind still in control supplies. He trips a few times, and laughter starts to bubble from his belly. It’s like being drunk and when his eyes fall to the black haired man next to him, his mouth moves on its own.

 

“You look like someone I know.”

 

“I’m Shiro, remember?”

 

“Oh right, I’m in love with him.”

 

The stumble definitely wasn’t his fault that time.

 

“Brace yourself, it’s probably going to be unsettling once we jump through the portal.”

 

One minute he’s floating and the next he feels like his stomach is being sucked out from his body. The vacuum of being pulled back to earth, to three dimensions and to solid ground so disorienting that he retches as soon as his feet are steady.

 

Slowly, and with a groan that can’t compare to the amount of exhaustion and unease he feels, he can feel his mind start to put itself back in place. Memories slot together, the world makes sense, and when he looks up, Shiro is standing there in awe; eyes closed and breathing deeply.

 

The world has never felt so right.

 

“Matt!”

 

His sister's voice calls out to him. Shiro helps him stand up but when he spots his sister, she’s in the grip of two security officers holding her back.

 

“Pidge!” An instinctual need overcomes him, an intense desire to save her, or at least break her out of here so she can move on with her life, but before he can take a step, Shiro stops him, nodding at the figure moving towards them.

 

“You break into my facility, tamper with government property, practice with quantum technology without a license, steal from a Class A mineral storage facility, and—“

 

Matt swallows at the sight of his old boss. The smartest person he ever knew and one of the most powerful. She is fierce and temperamental and takes no shit. He stares into the purest blue eyes he’s ever seen, full of a deep fire he knows is directed at him and he winces at the trouble he’s in.

 

Allura Altea.

 

“—and you’ve saved Shiro.”

 

“Huh?”

 

He blinks as she moves closer, heels clacking on the cracked tiles. She smiles warmly at Shiro before embracing him.

 

“It’s good to have you back, Dr. Shirogane.”

 

“It’s good to be back.”

 

“Wait, what’s happening here?” He asks, taking special note of how Allura looks at Shiro. Purely platonic of course, she’s been married to some literal prince of a small country in the artics or something for years.

 

Gone is the joy and affection in her eyes as she sets her sights on him. A nervous laugh bubbles from his throat and he cowers under her presence.

 

“Matthew Holt, I thought you’d have the proper sense to not meddle with affairs above your pay grade!”

 

“To be fair, I wasn’t getting paid.”

 

“Enough, I’m grateful you’ve managed to bring back one of our most talented scientists, and in doing so, change the way humans look at space time indefinitely. Yet, please give me a good reason why I shouldn’t have you prosecuted?”

 

Her arms cross and Matt is hit with the sense that his actions may have been way out of line. He looks around, his sister still in custody, Shiro standing there in all his rugged glory and Allura, hip cocked and waiting expectantly. He sighs in defeat, this isn’t what he wanted. What he wanted was to bring Shiro back so they could live the fantasy he’d always imagined in his mind. One where they were on top of the world. And although he did what he set out to do, he may have inadvertently cause more trouble then he realized.  

 

“With all due respect,” Shiro cuts in, determination set in every feature of his beautiful face, “The universe isn’t ready for this sort of technology, and I suggest we destroy it before it has a chance to destroy us.”

 

“Explain.”

 

“What I went through in there, it’s unexplainable. It’s a miracle I even survived. You want to talk about an extreme case of improvise, overcome and adapt, I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” He steps closer to her, eyes not wavering as he stares her down, “But I’ve seen the fabric of time, and mankind isn’t ready. It  _will_ destroy humanity.”

 

The silence in the room is palpable but Allura mulls over Shiro’s words.

 

But it’s an amazing sight to see an indestructible wall crumble, and Allura turns away from Shiro, eyes downcast.

 

“Let her go.” She says and her cronies release Pidge, who runs right to Matt. He engulfs her in a hug, holding her close as he apologizes in her ear.

 

“I understand. I'm willing to have the facility destroyed but I want documentation of everything that has happened in this building in the last twenty four hours.” She says, pulling the strings once again, “Also, Shiro, I want a complete medical analysis and report on your time spent in the quantum abyss. You can be assured your experience will be kept private and out of the wrong hands.”

 

“Thank you.” They share an understanding look before Allura turns, hips swaying as she walks out.

 

“Let’s go boys, we have a few things to settle before the building is destroyed and not a lot of time.”

 

“You did it.” Pidge says as the door behind Allura closes. She runs over to Shiro, hugging him as if seeing him for the first time. Which, in a way she kind of is. Shiro was a big inspiration in her life and his disappearance was hard on her too.

 

The inevitable moment happens shortly after. Pidge moves away and Shiro catches Matt’s eye. He can feel himself immediately blush from head to toe, very much remembering everything that happened since he walked through the portal.

 

“So...how does it feel to be back?”

 

“It feels good, I think this time I’ll stay.”

 

They’re dancing. Why are they dancing? It should be easy. Him and Shiro were always best friends but now, with his confession between them, it’s hard to find their old camaraderie. Neither can set their eyes on any one thing and Matt kicks pebbles with the toe of his boot.

 

“What will you do now?”

 

“I’m not sure…”

 

Right, Shiro had no family beside his brother, who Matt now realizes probably would have wanted to be part of the relief effort and fully expects to get an earful when Pidge’s lover boy finds out.

 

“Look, Shiro I—“

 

“—Matt, I should—“

 

They share a sweet laugh, but it doesn’t dissipate the awkward tension between them.

 

“Thanks for saving me.” Shiro says, rubbing the back of his neck and Matt takes notice of his arm again. It’s beautiful, like a small galaxy is embedded in an arm shaped universe, and Matt will definitely be studying that another time. But for now, the small action is endearing, and it hits Matt how strongly he missed Shiro.

 

“Anytime, all the time.” He jokes, trying to lighten the mood and totally not trying to deflect. Shiro sees right through him apparently, if his frown is anything to go by.

 

“Just kiss already.” Pidge yells from the otherside of the room, looking down at her phone.

 

“Pidge!”

 

Called out by his own sister. It hurts.

 

But Shiro clears his throat and Matt’s drawn into his dark shy eyes and pale skin. Suddenly, it seems less silly and more  _right_. Matt wouldn’t suicide trip into the quantum abyss for just anyone. And as they lean into each other, fitting together like a missing piece, Matt knows he will never let go.

  


—————*bonus*

 

Meanwhile…

 

Allura rushes into the library, where she is sure her husband sits, Shiro’s record of his time and Matt’s detailed information on how he was able to repair the portal in her hands. She bursts through the double doors, trying to catch her breath.

 

“Honey, I have the missing piece.”

 

Silver hair and a sharp face raise at her declaration. He gingerly takes the papers, looking them over as Allura slides into his lap. She drapes herself over him so she can also look over the documents, proud of herself for finally making her husbands dream a reality.

 

“This is extraordinary. How did you get this?”

 

“I have my ways,” She purrs, demurely tucking a hair behind his ear, “We can finally set things right. We can find your mother.”

 

His golden eyes sparkle in the light and his smile is dangerous, but Allura is ready and willing to go on this adventure with him.

 

He kisses her deeply, thankfully, and she feels it all the way to her toes.

 

“We should get stares right away.” He says when they break apart.

 

Allura smiles, “Anything you want, Lotor.”

**Author's Note:**

> 100 or so of you may have read this on another account, it's mine and I'm changing accounts back to my main.


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